Cognitive ability, motivation tied in addictive behavior

High cognitive functioning enhances one's readiness to change addictive behavior, according to a study published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

(HealthDay)—High cognitive functioning enhances one's readiness to change addictive behavior, according to a study published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Anne-Pascale Le Berre, from the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie in France, and colleagues surveyed 31 alcohol-dependent patients after detoxification and at alcohol treatment entry using a "readiness to change" questionnaire. A neuropsychological battery was also administered to the patients and 37 healthy controls.

The researchers found that the mean score on the action subscale was significantly higher than the precontemplation and contemplation subscale scores for the group of alcohol-dependent patients. When analyzed by the individual, some alcohol-dependent patients were still in the earlier precontemplation and contemplation stages. Memory and executive function impairment was linked to low motivation, while good decision-making skills were associated with high motivation.

"Our results suggest that a set of complementary cognitive abilities is needed to achieve awareness and resolve ambivalence toward alcohol addiction, which is essential for activating the desire to change problematic behavior," the authors write.

Related Stories

Alcohol dependence (AD) has negative effects on cognitive processes such as memory. Metamemory refers to the subjective knowledge that people have of their own cognitive processing abilities, such as their monitoring and ...

(HealthDay) -- Based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the microstructural changes seen in the genu and body of the corpus callosum in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients are found to improve after ...

People seeking help for their alcohol or other drug problems enter treatment with very different levels of motivation to change. Differences in motivation appear to make a critical difference in which patients seek, comply ...

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that some medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from a brief intervention. The BUSM study appears in the May issue of Journal of St ...

In the new research, published in the May 28, 2008 edition of The Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists found that gabapentin normalizes the action of certain brain cells altered by chronic alcohol abuse in an area of the ...

Recommended for you

Sometimes it is useful to show in a well conducted study something which one suspects could well be true. A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction shows that alcohol consumption of individuals appear ...

Synthetic cannabinoids ("synthetic marijuana"), with names like Spice, K2, Scooby Doo and hundreds of others, are often sold as a "legal" alternative to marijuana. Often perceived as a safe legal alternative ...

A pair of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Germany, has found that of a number of drugs used by people for recreational purposes (i.e. for non-medicinal reasons and without a prescription) ...

Smokers may be more likely to successfully quit their habit if simple adjustments were made to how an existing anti-smoking medication is prescribed, according to a new study by a University at Buffalo research team.

User comments

Please sign in to add a comment.
Registration is free, and takes less than a minute.
Read more

Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.